The roll grinding industry requires a polishing step to impart a desired finish on metallic parts. Currently, this polishing step is performed with either grinding wheels or flexible diamond belts. Conventional diamond belts typically consist of a single layer of abrasive grain adhered to a backing. Examples of flexible diamond belts include those sold under the tradenames 6450J Flex Diamond 50, 6450J Flex Diamond 74, and 1451J Flex CBN 40, all available from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn. However, in order to obtain a more efficient use of the abrasives in a coated abrasive, some coated abrasives have been made with abrasive agglomerates.
However, grinding wheels suitable for a polishing finish have low material removal rates during use, resulting in a slow manufacturing process and have the potential of failing catastrophically, by disintegration or shatter. Conventional flex diamond belts have limited life and are expensive.